Scratches? Scribbles? Scripture! Revealing the Unseen – 3D Scanning of Glagolitic Graffiti of the 10th Century at the Monastery of St. Naum

A groundbreaking study reveals previously unseen Glagolitic graffiti on the 10th-century marble columns of the Monastery of St. Naum, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Macedonia. These inscriptions, among the earliest evidence of the Glagolitic alphabet, were obscured due to the columns' curvature and shiny surface, which hindered traditional imaging techniques like macrophotography with raking light. To address this, researchers employed structured light scanning with a resolution of 30 μm or less, successfully capturing high-resolution 3D models of the inscriptions without texture information to avoid errors from the marble's discoloration. This innovative approach not only digitally preserves and archives the graffiti but also allows for detailed analysis from any virtual angle, providing invaluable resources for Slavistic and linguistic experts.

Tenschert, R., Rahrig, M., Drewello, R., & Kempgen, S. (2020). Scratches? Scribbles? Scripture! Revealing the Unseen : 3D Scanning of Glagolitic Graffiti of the 10th Century at the Monastery of St. Naum. https://doi.org/10.20378/irb-47604